The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Rando on December 07, 2010, 12:01:12 pm
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Hello all,
New guy here, starting at the announcements page! I’ve been reviewing the site (and other sites) for a while, and have my initial plan for your review. I’m not ready to start the cabinet build however, as step one is actually to install the subfloor and then laminate wood flooring in my basement, (currently finished but with thin carpet and some moisture issues) but by posting here I’m hoping this will feel “more real” and help me to stay on course.
I’m new to MAME and emulators but have been around computers for much of my life, built a few, so I’m not expecting problems in that area. I’m also good with tools, so I’m looking forward to the actual cabinet build. My biggest flaw is I’m afraid of electrical work/wiring, so custom buttons make me nervous. So here is my preliminary plan, appreciate feedback, options, and ideas:
Arcade Cabinet – Ordered pre-cut offering from MameRoom Designs, Ultimate Arcade II. Will be neat, will look how I want, and have a finished appearance right away. Red T-Molding ordered as well as that looks how I want.
Two Player controllers – Going to build this using information from this site. Current plan is for 2 main 8 way joysticks, 6 buttons each, trackball, and probably a 4-way up top in middle. Don't want the CP to be too Fraken, but a Tron stick is tempting. Also will likely need a spinner, and is a removable Spy Hunter wheel an option? Will likely create an initial "test" CP first with basics, and add what is missing based on popularity of gameplay. Sticking to older games, so hopefully button combos will remain limited.
Monitor – On lookout for a 25" Monitor with S-Video input, speakers on bottom, power return a nice option.
PC System – Dell Dimension P4 wiped and loaded with MAME, games, and currently the Game EX frontend.
Bezel/Marquee/Cab Graphics – Down the road decisions, not a major concern at moment.
Speaker system – Have a nice speaker setup with Bass from a previous PC build, sounds great.
Game Emulators – Looks like I’ll want MAME & Daphne initally, don't know if I want more.
Oh, to help classify me and get an understanding of the games I’m looking to have access to, I just turned 40, so I grew up playing games like Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Dig Dug, Spy Hunter (a favorite), TRON, Journey (cheesy), stuff like that. My wife wants games like Tempest, Robotron, Beserk. I’d like to have access to games like Dragon Quest and Space Ace that took way too many quarters to make any kinds of progress back in the day. Fighting games would be present but likely not my focus for the machine. Finally have a house with a adequate basement for a good gameroom.
This is a long text, sorry about that, but wanted to cover everything. Thanks for this site and help in advance! :cheers:
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Welcome.
Wiring the cabinet is the easiest part of the entire build. You should not be afraid of that. It was the first thing I ever wired in my life (and I was also nervous) and it was so easy. I can't stress this enough.
You aren't going to get "definitive" answers to a lot of your questions because everyone will have differing opinions on what to do. My advice would be to build from scratch (especially since you said you are good with tools) and design a control panel that works for your needs. If Tron is important you can certainly add Tron controls (GGG sells an awesome looking repro stick). Spinner and trackballs are very common on a MAME cabinet.
I'd also go with an arcade monitor over a widescreen LCD - way more authentic but again, it depends on your needs.
Finally, I would not put off your bezel/marquee/cab graphics until after the cabinet is built. The nicest cabs on this site are the ones with an overall theme and designed as one cohesive unit. If you don't plan it could end up being way more work down the line and it might look like you slapped the thing together without much thought.
Browse the project announcement forums - sort by # of posts and you will get a good list of projects to look at. Good luck and remember to post tons of pics! :cheers:
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The X-Arcade stuff is not much cheaper than building and buying the parts you need. However if you do go that route, maybe build your own control panel and move the guts over. Most spinners I know of are USB so adding one on top of the X-Arcade should be simple enough.
I cannot vouch for the quality of games the X-Arcade comes with as when I opened mine it was like pouring sprinkles from an envelope. I dunno what they do in that factory but the disc was so destroyed it seems unlikely it was an accident. The rest of it was built well - but the joysticks feel cheap and the buttons have a funny hollow sound to them that doesn't feel right. I have heard good things about their trackballs though.
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Re the worrying about just one game thing: If playing that game on the perfect machine is your dream, make it come true. I dare say it will be totally worth it, that sweet moment when you first insert a credit and start playing that one legendary game on original controls... besides, I'm almost sure you'll find that building the whole thing is as much fun as playing it, so go crazy.
Haven't heard much good things about the X-Arcade stuff... get your own sticks and buttons (I usually recommend Japanese brands, Sanwa and Seimitsu, I love the way they feel, but many American players prefer Happ products as they feel a bit stiffer) and take apart a playstation 1 pad for the pcb (to connect the controls to your pc). It's not complicated at all, I was a total noob and I got it right the first time.
Anyway, have fun with your first build!
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Game Emulators – Looks like I’ll want MAME, SNES, Daphne, Maybe Sega Genesis. Can these all run using the Maximus frontend loader? Ease of use and coolness factors are important here.
Hyperspin FTW!
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I've been much more satisfied with Hyperspin as well. To me, it feels like a more polished product.
Also a consideration for me was that Hyperspin would correctly suspend/resume with the computer whereas Maximus would not.
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I've been much more satisfied with Hyperspin as well. To me, it feels like a more polished product.
Also a consideration for me was that Hyperspin would correctly suspend/resume with the computer whereas Maximus would not.
Really?! I didn't know that. Is there an option for that somewhere in HyperHQ?
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I didn't set any options for it. I just tapped the power button on the front of my machine and it went into suspend mode (as specified in the windows power management settings). Hitting power again brought it back up in hyperspin, videos still playing.
MAME is rather unhappy if it gets suspended though, that usually results in coming back up locked up.
Now if only I could program a suspend/power up key to my CP via minipac. Then it would be perfect. I'll not threadjack with that discussion though.
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This site is awesome, you guys are pretty sweet as well.
Just saying! :cheers:
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I'm jealous of all the other postings that have progress pics, so here is my first.
Spot for cab. Basement is large, has stairs coming down in middle which separates it into two halves. Right half is for kids, Wii is over there, couch, 3-way kids gaming table, etc. Left side is the adult gameroom, wine refrig, future bar, poker table, maybe bumper pool, and Arcade on the left part of the wall below, possible Pinball (?) on the right.
Floor will be wood, walls likely a tan. Image 1! :dunno
(http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/2372/dsc00109i0.jpg)
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(http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/2372/dsc00109i0.jpg)
Awesome work so far! Err...
;) :D ;D
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Initial Theme concept:
After a heated "discussion" with my wife (non-cab related! ::) ) I got the idea for a marquee/theme similar to a Capcom vs type theme, with guys vs girls, wife vs husband, sort of thing.
Left side of Marquee would be my name with a bunch of male characters posed for battle (fighers, Pac man, DK, dirk, etc.) and a blue/light blue theme. Right side of Marquee would be my wife's name with a bunch of female characters (fighers, princesses, Ms Pac man, etc.) and a Red/pink theme. Console would not include names, would just feature red vs blue, male vs female characters.
The blue/red theme seems to be common, but I'm thinking this would be a nice spin on it. The Marquee with our names might be a bit cheesy and personal, but would be fun to see and she would likely be my foe in many of the games.
Thoughts? Been done before? Good examples?
Also based on above I'm leaning towards trying to build the button console myself. I have done some electrical work (repacing light switches and fixtures, outlets, etc.) so hopefully that experience will help. Hopefully I'll at least be less likely to receive a shock! ;) Reviewing the boards to see if I can find some instructions on where to start.
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The cab's right there, he just hasn't phased it in quite yet ;)
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Thoughts? Been done before? Good examples?
I like it. If you choose to remove the names on either side, you could always have a nice big "VS" in the middle ... kinda like in Scott Pilgrim, if you've seen that.
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Thoughts? Been done before? Good examples?
I like it. If you choose to remove the names on either side, you could always have a nice big "VS" in the middle ... kinda like in Scott Pilgrim, if you've seen that.
Seen it, read it, love it!! :) Wife does too, maybe incorporate Scott Pilgrim elements...
Oh my, this does have the potential to grow into multiple machine concepts doesn't it? :o :o
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well you've got to have a dedicated horizontal and a dedicated vertical cab, right?
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Located a free & working 25" RCA set within 30 minutes of my office which I might try to grab tomorrow/this weekend. I'd be looking to put this into the Mameroom Ultimate Arcade II cabinet, which per the rep has interior room of 27" wide, just under 25" high, and almost 21" deep. Aside from dimensions, what features do I NEED and WANT for the set to be adequate? Manual looks to be included which is a nice bonus.
If the set is a smidge too big, how much of a chore is it to remove the tube/components of the set and mount in the cabinet?
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Component inputs would be a nice bonus, or at least S-video. Another thing I look for is: When you plug in the TV does it immediately power up if the power button is held in. I know it sounds weird, but if you decide to use a smart power strip you can pry the power button in and the TV will turn on automatically when you boot the PC...just something to think about.
Sounds like you should have the room for the entire TV. If not there are many threads on this, just remember to discharge the monitor first. Those old CRTs can kill you.
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Sounds like you should have the room for the entire TV. If not there are many threads on this, just remember to discharge the monitor first. Those old CRTs can kill you.
Side story,
Few years back I got the idea to create a fishtank using an old console style TV. I found a great set and removed the tube. The curved screen was nice and I wanted to remove it to mount it back on the set, and then have a regular tank behind it/within the console. Screen didn't want to come off so I tried multiple ways, which included attempting to drill holes into the tube (?) to help me pry it off. My drill failed however, and I never did get the screen separated.
I mentioned my exploits to several friends and warnings followed regarding discharging the set (set had been unplugged for some time, so I don't think a danger there) and my dad gave me a heads up about poisonous gasses being inside the tube itself. Soooooo I guess it was a good thing that I couldn't penetrate it! :)
Had the tank in the set for a while (after reinforcing the base) regardless but it never looked as cool as it did in my head. Hopefully my arcade cabinet will be much more betterer!! ;)
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... and my dad gave me a heads up about poisonous gasses being inside the tube itself.
Damn straight! You know how hard it is to breath in a vacuum? Trust me, you don't want to find out.
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Try to get hold of a copy of "Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine". It's a good starting point. Make sure it's going to be what you want it to be!
I would advise for custom controls, you wont regret it. It might be a bit more expensive and a bit more work, but you get more quality and fun in return. Almost everybody starts with the "X-arcade will do" comments. After you spend some time on BYOAC, arcade parts become like the "one ring to rule them all"... must have my precious... >:D
I can also say that wiring the CP is very easy. Just use some good tools/wire and think about part placement and how your going to route your wire's before starting.
Be prepared to spend quite some time setting up alle the software for this baby (unless you can get a copy of a complete install from somebody nearby that fits your needs). It took me much longer then expected to get everything the way I wanted. For me it started like "PacMan is running, how cool is this" and it ended with tinkering with autohotkey scripts, front-end/Mame tweaks, custom themes for everything etc. Should note that for me this is an important part of the hobby, I spend almost as much time on as playing games.
Your theme idea's sound's cool!! Don't over do it though. Also take a look at "crapmame" and figure out what NOT to do!
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Try to get hold of a copy of "Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine". It's a good starting point. Make sure it's going to be what you want it to be!
I saw that book on Amazon when I first got this idea in my head, but some of the reviews mentioned that it was a bit dated (2004), but when I searched today I see that a new one is actually coming out in January:
Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine (Wiley Red Books) [Paperback]
John St. Clair (Author)
Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (January 25, 2011)
I'm sure much if not more info is on this site, but a step by step format is nice. Don't see myself starting cabinet/controls prior to end of January, so maybe I'll add this to my wishlist! :D
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Is the book any good? I don't recognize the author.
;)
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I agree that it is a bit dated, but it does provide some usefull information. Offcourse everything can also be found on the internet (hint hint ;) )
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Is the book any good? I don't recognize the author.
;)
Oh great and powerful saint...where art thou? :duckhunt
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Located a free & working 25" RCA set within 30 minutes of my office which I might try to grab tomorrow/this weekend. I'd be looking to put this into the Mameroom Ultimate Arcade II cabinet, which per the rep has interior room of 27" wide, just under 25" high, and almost 21" deep. Aside from dimensions, what features do I NEED and WANT for the set to be adequate? Manual looks to be included which is a nice bonus.
Okie,
Picked up my FREE 25" RCA set today. Does it work? No clue. Did it come with a power cord? Of course not. Manual? Yes! Will it connect to my PC? Once I get a modulator to help me connect to the coaxial cable input, I hope so!
Now to get the PC up and running, then cleaned, then setup for this purpose. TV looks big though, need to measure and see if I need to take out of case. Oog.
But progress!! :D
(http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/92/25inchset.jpg)
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Once I get a modulator to help me connect to the coaxial cable input, I hope so!
Even composite video would be better than that. I hope that's not the option you're actually considering.
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OUch! only a coax input? AND no power cord? I would ditch it, it was free anyway. You can get a good CRT of CL for under 50 bucks.
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OUch! only a coax input? AND no power cord? I would ditch it, it was free anyway. You can get a good CRT of CL for under 50 bucks.
I agree - there's always something better on the horizon. A buddy I work with just upgraded to LCD, and I'm picking up a nice 27" Sony Trinitron tomorrow! (Check Craigslist - it's a good source, and you can pick and choose.)
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OUch! only a coax input? AND no power cord? I would ditch it, it was free anyway. You can get a good CRT of CL for under 50 bucks.
Why do that when he could embark on the exciting adventure of universal chassis!
http://www.8liners.com/datatech/monitor.html (http://www.8liners.com/datatech/monitor.html)
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Bah,
Really?
Figured this wouldn't be much of an issue since the games I would be looking to play would be low rez so it wouldn't give me problems. Oh well, back to Craig's list (where I got this one) to see what else is out there! :(
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You want at least s-video or it will look like garbage.
Plus, if you want to use a smart strip to turn it all on, you want a tv with power return. Most new Tv's have this, so if it has s-video, it will probably have it.
Turn on the tv, unplug it and then plug it back in. If it turns itself back on, you have a winner.
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Update:
Half of the Basement has been painted, and quite nicely I might add. Surprise surprise, the side that will feature the Cab was painted first! ;)
I now have a total of 3 PCs. Two non-working and a 3rd that I just formatted and gave a clean XP Home install. Specs of PC are below, please advise if this should be sufficient or if upgrades are needed:
- Dell Dimension Pentium 4 2.00 Ghz
- 80 GB Hard Drive (I have a faster Maxtor 250 GB that I can use, but want to get some things off it prior to format) (Will definitely need to do if I want Cab playing music as well)
- 1 GB RAM (was 512 MB, swapped with one of my non-working PC's)
- 128 MB ATI Video card
- XP Home edition, upgraded to Service Pack 3
I installed MAME, MAME32, and some free ROMs for testing. No major problems there. Will the above be adequate to run a front-end like HyperSpin? Desired games?
Currently running on a 17" monitor, have people searching for upgrades to that for me.
Thanks all!
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I don't think hyperspin is recommended for a system that is that slow with that little ram. I would go with something simpler. I use gameex. I think its simple and flexible. It should suit you fine. I would advise against hyperspin, the alure of it is that it has a lot of bells and whistles, but you won't be able to use them because you don't have enough horsepower to run it.
What games do you plan on running in MAME? 80gb is fine if you don't want any CHD based games, but you probably won't be able to play many CHD games on your getup anyway. Otherwise you should opt for something in the 120-250gb range depending on how much you want, and try to get a faster processor. But if you are mainly interested in playing pre-1990's games and some early 90's games that should be just about adequate.
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I don't think hyperspin is recommended for a system that is that slow with that little ram. I would go with something simpler. I use gameex. I think its simple and flexible. It should suit you fine. I would advise against hyperspin, the alure of it is that it has a lot of bells and whistles, but you won't be able to use them because you don't have enough horsepower to run it.
What games do you plan on running in MAME? 80gb is fine if you don't want any CHD based games, but you probably won't be able to play many CHD games on your getup anyway. Otherwise you should opt for something in the 120-250gb range depending on how much you want, and try to get a faster processor. But if you are mainly interested in playing pre-1990's games and some early 90's games that should be just about adequate.
Thanks Donk,
I'm definitely focusing more on 80's and early 90's games, as those are what I enjoyed playing in Arcades. Not looking at CHD type games, so I will definltey look at a less robust FE.
I want it to be easy for the user, and looking good would be a bonus. I'll checkout gameex, thanks for the tip!
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Is the book any good? I don't recognize the author.
;)
Oh great and powerful saint...where art thou? :duckhunt
For newbies: Roughly translated - The author of the book is the creator of the BYOAC forums. His username here is "Saint"
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Rando,
You may want to check out this thread here (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=80229.0) of videos on how to do stuff. It explains wiring and may ease your fears of doing it. It's quite simple as stated by others here as well.
Good luck!
D
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Rando,
You may want to check out this thread here (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=80229.0) of videos on how to do stuff. It explains wiring and may ease your fears of doing it. It's quite simple as stated by others here as well.
Good luck!
D
what a great post. i wish i would of seen these before i wired mine up.. great videos. :)
chris.
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PC is running, GameEx looks to be a great frontend solution, ROMS loaded, sound works, no complication yet. Here it all is in the spot where the cabinet will go, wall painted, flooring ordered, need to order cabinet, install components, and then get to work on the control panel. Not as afraid as I was in the beginning, and it's AWESOME to see how good some of the old games look and sound. Looking forward but still semi-fearful of next stages.
But progress! :)
(http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/8331/dsc00136jy.jpg)
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you are onto a great start now.. you got the brains taken care of. now time for the clothes.. i like your idea for the marquee also.
chris.
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Welcome, and cool thread so far, I'll keep watching, the book is great, I bought it, it is dated, but so isn't pac-man, it's still worth the price, and learning a new edition is coming out, i'll probably snag that as well. The author "saint" definately did a good job with it, It will get you so excited for your build that your creativity will start flowing like mad, or atleast it did for me. He packs everything you need to know about everything, it's a bargain, and now an updated verison, you'll be set. I had zero woodworking skills or tools for that matter, and was kinda nervous about wiring, etc, but with that book, this forum, patience and a little money, you have found an awesome hobby!
good luck to you, and once again, welcome to the best forum bar-none, for the hobby.
:cheers:
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Alrighty,
I don't have any real Cab progress to list, other than this site has continued to be a great resource and I'm pretty sure I've narrowed down the joysticks (sanwa) and buttons (concave old style) that I want. But I have made progress in the basement where the Cab will live. Irony in this is that the desire for the Cab is moving my basement renovation along quicker than anticipated. Wife is amused and now more supportive of my motivation! ;)
But for anyone with moisture/humidity issues in their basement, so far I can recommend "dricore" panels. not cheap, over $5 per 2x2 panel. But they're easier than 4x8 pieces to move, have a lower profile than a traditional subfloor, and so far aren't too hard to install. Don't get me wrong, it's not cake, my back hurts, and I've got 375 of these 8lb suckers in my basement that will feel like my living space for the next couple of months while I do this, but so far better (and cheaper) than paying somebody else to do it. Some update pics for you:
1st pic - Current floor is just carpet on pad over concrete, which is not condusive to letting the floor "breath" and retains moisture. Just getting that up will reduce humidity. Annoying part, those wood tacks at the border that the carpet attaches to are embedded into the concrete with these little nails that are quite a ---smurfette--- to pull up without getting a big divot.
2nd pic - Initial laying out of some panels with some 1/4 inch boards along side as spacers. Also fired up dehumidifier to remove any remaining humidity now present from pulling carpets.
3rd pic - 375 dricore panels that I carried down all by my lonesome. Ouch.
4th pic - What the floor looks like after a few rows complete. Lay panel, tongue and groove lined up, bang with rubber mallet, repeat. And in case you're wondering, hit from rubber mallet to finger hurts almost as much as normal hammer. Ouch again.
last pic - Other end of flooring so far, and impressed myself with jigsaw cutting to get panel around post. will later put wraps around post once finished flloor is in, so the floor doesn't have to be too tight around post, but it's the principle of the thing. Rando 1, post 0.
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Looking good! Those dricore panels are great, I have used them in the past at other people's houses.
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Woot,
It's a good day! Layed another 5 or 6 rows of floor panelling over the weekend. Logged into my e-mail this morning to receive notice that my Project Arcade book is on the way! Came into work and boss gave me my bonus information, so I just placed my order to North Coast Custom/Mameroom for my Ultimate Arcade II cabinet. Printing out cabinet plans now.
It may be 1 degree outside, but it's a beautiful day!! :)
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No major milestones, but updating for my records:
- Subfloor is done, haven't yet picked up laminate flooring yet as the ones we like are on backorder and haven't settled on alternatives yet. Currently looking at lumber liquidators, but if anyone else has any input suggestions I'm open.
- Box 1 of the UAII cabinet arrived, but boxes 2-4 did NOT, even though Fedex shows them as delivered. Fedex thinks they actually delivered it to my Post office and it's with them, so need to try to track down. Had time to work on it last few days, so not happy at time lost. :(
- Was working with the GameEx frontend, but although some ROMs were fine, other games that worked in MameUI weren't working in GameEx. Loaded MALA and after I got through the initial shock of the lack of intuitive feel, I'm working with the game listing to try and cut down to a reasonable amount. Wife gets frustrated if too many options so I need to keep simple. Looking for a good starter MALA guide, info I've found so far has been more technical, so I'm muddling along.
- Currently using a 26inch LCD as my gaming monitor through S-Video. Windows screens look AWFUL on it, but games look pretty good. Might go with this option if I can clean up the Windows appearance.
Looking forward to tracking down rest of packages and building the house! :D
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... LCD .... S-Video....
What's the make/model? I don't think I've seen an LCD of that size that didn't have HDMI, Component, or VGA inputs. Any of those would give you essentially 'perfect' displays from a Windows standpoint.
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... LCD .... S-Video....
What's the make/model? I don't think I've seen an LCD of that size that didn't have HDMI, Component, or VGA inputs. Any of those would give you essentially 'perfect' displays from a Windows standpoint.
It does,
I have it setup as my second monitor with the PC Monitor using the VGA input. Need to find a spare VGA cable to try out how it looks. Wife almost gave it away 6 months ago and it might be perfect. :applaud:
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- Spoke to Fedex guy, apparently delivered the boxes to my neighbor who may or may not be present the bulk of the winter. Fedex looking for packages today, I will wander over if packages not at my door today. Hopefully this means that I get to build the bulk of the Cab this weekend!!
- Was putting my daughter to bed last night and heard yelps of glee from the Dining Room where I have the MAME PC currently setup. Wife finally cleared screen 1 of Donkey Kong Jr. Had to sit by her side for 15 minutes after so she could do it again to prove to me that she did in fact clear it. I am now fearful that I will not get to play my own Cab!!! Guess I gotta build 2! ;)
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No major milestones, but updating for my records:
Looking for a good starter MALA guide, info I've found so far has been more technical, so I'm muddling along.
Rando:
Check out this topic on setting up Mala, by BYOAC member, "unclet": http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=56010.0 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=56010.0)
Link to the Mala Setup Guide can be found here: http://unclet.arcadecontrols.com/MalaInfo/MalaEmuSetup-HowTo.doc (http://unclet.arcadecontrols.com/MalaInfo/MalaEmuSetup-HowTo.doc)
Good Luck!
- John
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Thanks for the Mala information John,
At a glance it's highly technical, but upon further review there is much that doesn't pertain to my setup at the moment and can be skipped. Will see what I can learn.
At a standstill as far as build goes. Fedex finally accepted fact that 3 of 4 boxes are missing, and Mameroom is shipping new pieces Monday hopefully. Until then I'm working on the floor which in the end is what I NEED to do rather than what I WANT to do. By the time the boxes arrive I should have at least completed flooring to where the cab will be.
Flooring:
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That's pretty slick looking!
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Cab delivered!
Cab delivered!!
Cab delivered!!!
That's all I've got for now, please go about your business! :applaud:
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Cab delivered!
Cab delivered!!
Cab delivered!!!
That's all I've got for now, please go about your business! :applaud:
Guess it's going to be a busy weekend. ;D
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Finally have a cab related update. Got the floor finished as far as I can, far side of the basement has a couple steel doors that won't clear the subfloor, so I had to tile there instead. So while the tile sets before I can grout and complete the flooring/baseboard molding, I FINALLY got to unpack my four Mameroom boxes and get to work on my cab!!
Some observations of the Ultimate Arcade II boards and plans as provided by Mameroom:
- With everything else that I have going on, I would never have the time to cut these pieces myself, so paying more for the finished pieces make this project a reality instead of a dream.
- Boxes are heavy and really nicely packed to ensure no damage, only issue is I now have all these little white foam pieces on my new flooring and stuck to the cab.
- Directions instruct you to install the T-Molding first, and then piece the base together. But with the T-molding installed, once the initial frame is together it can be REALLY tough to squeeze the next piece in for placement as it gets stuck on the molding. I understand that installing the T-Molding onto the base after it was all together would be a different pain because you would be flipping around this heavy clunky object, but at least I wouldn't be damaging the molding. I might build the top section first and then add the molding.
- Everything seems to be good and sturdy, but it creates a much bigger footprint than I imagined. I can see why people trim the plans down to smaller sizes. Shouldn't be an issue for where I have it selected to go, but it's a big unit.
Having said all that, I get to post a picture of the completed base, otherwise this never happened. Woot!
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Tomorrow I grout the tile, today I did some more work on the cab and built the top half. Installing the top onto the bottom is a two man job, cause that sucker is heavy. Unfortunately I'm the only guy I know around here. Fortunately I'm freakishly strong. Top section fit great, and I got a bit lucky that it set right into place on the first try, cause again, that sucker was heavy.
Pic below shows 26" LCD screen that I'm currently planning to use. Doesn't fill out the entire space, but this could work. Leaning horizontal, might fiddle. But here is what we've got so far:
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The red and black really look nice together.
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Lookin good ;D
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The red and black really look nice together.
Thanks Cot,
I saw in a couple posts where people were assessing folk's builds and some said that the red/black theme had been overdone, but when I thought about it, it wasn't overdone in MY house, so that made the selection of the color combo easy for me.
Everything is going together well, the cab is nice and stable, and I will start putting the PC/Monitor/Speaker components in there this week. Then to order the buttons/sticks and build my test CP. I posted some pics on my Facebook page and people are already making plans to come over to play. Goal is to get everything playable by Easter when I have some family over.
Thanks all!
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I thought it was more that the blue and black theme was overdone.
the red and black theme looks great.
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some said that the red/black theme had been overdone
I'm with you on this. Maybe seeing post after post had been over done with colour x and colour y but if you think about it... we're re-envisioning machines made 10-20-30-40 years ago. People are always complimenting things that are modern yet classic. I think there's a reason people use certain colour combos, black and red or electric blue, the galaxian green, etc. Black and red are a great combo, and yours is no exception. It looks wicked!
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Just an update,
After completing about 95% of my floor project, we got massive rain in NJ. Sometime during the storm my sump pump tripped the circuit that it was on and stopped. That night my wife went downstairs to get something and screamed up that the floor was making "squishy" noises as she walked on it.
:badmood: :badmood: :badmood:
I flipped the breaker and the pump cranked back up, but the overflow put 1-2 inches throughout the entire basement. For the next 12 hours I removed almost all of the laminate flooring and subfloor panels, so I could get to the water left on the floor and suck it up with my most recent purchase: Wet/Dry vac.
The bad news:
- The laminate flooring has a fiber base, so whereever it got wet it expanded, so I had to trash about 40% of the flooring
- I also trashed about 75% of the subflooring panels, basically wherever the water rose above the rubber bottom and saturated the actual wood panel. I probably could have saved more but I damaged a lot during removal and didn't want to risk moldy panels
- The sheetrock in most places was all the way to the floor and some sections held so much water they crumbled when I yanked on them (This was obviously not the first time this happened)
The good news:
- Because of the subfloor, everything was raised off the cement floor, so nothing in the basement actually got wet or was damaged. So cabinet, extra PC cases, cardboard boxes with homework I did when I was 5, all okay.
- Flooring and subflooring were both on sale at 10%, and we were able to get another 10% off, so replacement flooring was cheaper the second time around
- Insurance gave us a check to cover materials without issue. Doesn't cover the time I spent, but so be it
After moping around for a day or so, I got to work:
- Cleaned up, cut out damaged sheetrock, got dumpster for ruined flooring and other crap
- Replaced Sump pump with stronger newer model
- Changed outlet powering pump to avoid shutoff in future
- Sheetrock has been replaced, spackling now, should be able to repaint today/tomorrow
- Ordered backup pump, battery, and moisture alarm - To prevent repeat disaster in future
:soapbox: (I recommend this to all with basements!!!)
Entire basement has french drains around border, which were working as intended, but water wasn't flowing out, so it just overflowed. :banghead:
Obviously all work on Cabinet has been halted. I plan to take a day or two off, hope to have flooring completed AGAIN by the end of next week. I had the project timed so well to have basement and cabinet completed by the time it got nice outside so I could move to yardwork.
Side note, this was the same weekend as the Japan disaster, so whoever I complained to came back with "At least you're not in Japan!" Yes, I know that tragedy is FAR superior to my own, but in my little world MY personal tragedy sucks too!!! :cry:
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Stay strong bro. Sounds like you dove right in on the fix and it'll be a distant memory soon.
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Interested in this as I plan on getting a UA II cab sometime soon.
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Thanks all,
Walls are spackled and repainted, Subfloor is done, as is 2/3 of the flooring and about half of the baseboard molding. Should be completed to where I was before by the end of the weekend.
:angry:
Interested in this as I plan on getting a UA II cab sometime soon.
So far my feedback is positive, though I haven't loaded any components into it. I have my questions about the pull-out drawer tray but we'll see how that goes. Overall it feels very solid though and is heavy as hell. Would definitely take components out and separate into its two pieces prior to moving if needed. Don't plan on moving it too much once it's in place however.
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Sorry to hear about the basement...
But with the T-molding installed, once the initial frame is together it can be REALLY tough to squeeze the next piece in for placement as it gets stuck on the molding.
You HAVE to trim the T-Moulding flush with the inside edge of the various panels, especially if you ever want to remove the rear access panel or if you will be adding glass in front of the monitor. I really did not want to do so, but it's not difficult with a sharp razor blade, and it came out clean.
I have my questions about the pull-out drawer tray but we'll see how that goes.
The tray is the weakest part of the entire design IMO. I've been wanting to hinge the front panel so that it swings down, but haven't been able to find the right type of hinge. I'm (really) hesitant to screw into the diagonal edge of the panel right below the tray, so some sort of scissor hinge would be necessary.
Endaar
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Any updates?
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Any updates?
Sure!
Basement is complete, flooring looks great, walls back to new, sump pump replaced, backup sump installed. Space needs to be cleaned up, but looks good & will try to post a pic or two.
Cabinet is built. I'm not crazy about the keyboard tray, but learned in another thread that inserting a coin between the track and board will help the keyboard to roll much better. Will try that out soon.
Moved the PC, monitor and speakers into cabinet to test fit, and experienced a bunch of trouble getting the PC to power on. Seems my Dell has a common quirk where it doesn't like to turn on all the time. Tried some fixes and ended up swapping out the Power Supply with one that I had in a broken PC. That solved the Power issue, but the PC wouldn't boot properly as the Hard Drive took a beating with all the power starts/stops. Tried formatting the Hard Drive/reinstalling XP but still didn't appear to be 100%. HD was an old 80G, so I dumped it for a 250G that I had lying around but hadn't formatted yet as I still have some files on it I don't want to lose. Installed the HD and realized that I had a version of XP on it, so computer booted cleanly although I think it's looking for the ASUS MB it used to be connected to. But as of last night, it appears to be stable.
So now I will reinstall MAME, MALA, and ROMs. Once I confirm the PC is back up to running/playable conditions, I order the buttons/sticks etc.
On my list to get:
IPac - Need to read up on options
Two 4/8 joysticks - Need to read up on options (Probably go with a Sanwa JLW?)
6 Red buttons (Older concave style)
6 Blue buttons
1/2 player buttons
Extra ESC or Admin button
Once I have that I will build a "test" Control panel since I have no idea what I'm doing there. Whenever I say that people say "it's not so bad, it's actually really easy..." which I'm sure it is, but wires and holes and cables... Oh my! :)
Once the CP is working, I'll see how I like the configuration, and add a Spinner, Trackball, and likely a Tron type stick as time goes on. Also want to add a push coin button for credits.
Then I try to build a "finished" CP.
If I left anything out above, please let me know... So much to do!!! :)
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Thanks for the update. I'm glad you got your basement situation taken care of so it won't happen again. In your research for joysticks you should also look at the U360 from Ultimarc. Do a search for U360 and read the many many comments from various people about them. I look forward to seeing the pics as well.
The CP wiring really isn't bad. It's fairly basic.
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The CP wiring really isn't bad. It's fairly basic.
I know I know... :P Basic is the replacing the ugly brass light at the top of the light with something more game-roomy. Less basic is replacing standard lights with Ceiling fans in my house. Both of those I can do without issue, if the CP skill level is somewhere in between, I'm good to go! ;)
Formatted the new HD, loaded XP, went through updates, and am writing this from the gaming PC. Progress! :)
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Ok,
First off, let me say that Ultimarc and GroovyGear are AWESOME with regards to shipping. Placed my order to both a few days ago, and everything arrived today. Would have actually received the bulk of it yesterday but DHL needed my signature. Here is what I got:
Ultimarc:
2 Black leaf buttons
7 Blue leaf buttons
7 Red leaf buttons
Mini-Pac with Harness
Player 1 and Player 2 buttons
2 1/4 inch trackball with mounting plate
2 Ultrastick 360's, extra blue ball top
GroovyGear:
Faux Coin door
2 NovaGem Coin drop pushbuttons
1 Button wrench
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Now that everything has arrived, it is quite clear that I have NO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING!!!
Buttons look like buttons, trackball looks like trackball, mini-pac looks like... well, a really tiny computer board much smaller than I pictured. And lots and lots of wires. What connects to what? How does this all work? I have no idea. I had kinda hoped for instructions like, I don't know, some idiot guide saying plug THIS wire into THIS thingee... or something like that.
I got the harness (x2?) connected to the mini-pac, it only connected one way, score! And I assume the other ends connect to buttons, but there are lots of connectors, and each button has 2 prongs... do two wires go to each button? Just 1? I don't know. And what is this collection of prongs that are connected to each other in a long daisy chain? Do I need this with the harness? I don't know.
What I DO know is that tomorrow I buy wood, and build a shoddy box, and put lots of holes into it... and then cross my fingers.
Honestly, no clue. Any help/guidance appreciated!!! ??? ??? ???
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There is a wiring guide on ultimarc.com
http://www.ultimarc.com/mp_inst.html (http://www.ultimarc.com/mp_inst.html)
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There is a wiring guide on ultimarc.com
http://www.ultimarc.com/mp_inst.html (http://www.ultimarc.com/mp_inst.html)
Thanks Cot,
That one is a little clearer than the one that came with the box. I also found some wiring videos here that helped alleviate some stress. Got a little overwhelmed with everything spread out like that.
That daisy chain collection of wires appears to be for grounding, not sure which prong on the leafs is the ground though. So I connect one end of the chain to the mini-pac, the rest to the buttons once I figure out which prong... do I have to do anything with the other end of the chain? Connect to something or leave hanging?
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With switches on buttons it doesn't matter which prong you use for ground.
You are correct in thinking one end of the chain goes to the mini-pac, and the other end can be left hanging (or cut off, whatever you do just make sure it doesn't end up accidentally making contact with anything in there. You don't want spooky phantom button presses because your ground wire is swinging around inside your cp).
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It does not matter what goes where if you use COM and NO but the convention is Ground wire (daisy chain) to COM and the wire to the interface to NO.
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I stand (sort of) corrected. ;D
Also, if you're using a microswitch with three terminals (NC as well as NO), it starts to matter more. Fortunately those leaf switches are keeping life (relatively) simple for you.
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Alrighty,
Although nothing is actually WIRED, I made a bunch of progress today/tonight: Built CP box, mapped out buttons/sticks, made some holes, and got everything into place. Didn't use any sort of CP mapping, schematics, blueprints, etc. Just did some measurements, drew some lines, circles, saw how it felt, and went for it.
This is intended to be my test CP, for me to trying out a configuation, figure things out, etc, but so far, Rando pleased.
Only problem is that my Trackball is sagging, but I'll post that to a different thread to try to attract a solution.
Question I have, is I repeatedly see the joystick dustcover debate. Right not mine are on top obviously, but the dustcover moves when you move the joystick, so how could you have it under something anyway? Wouldn't the exposed hole be real big? Confused.
But progress pics below:
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Nice progress. Glad to see you finally were able to square away your mess due to the flooding.
Thanks are due as I noticed your sump pump problem in this thread and checked mine. The breaker was tripped and there was water only a couple of inches from the top. My basement is not finished but it would have made a mess. Pump was seized so had to do an emergency run to Home Depot for a new one and had do a wet replacement.
The sump now is hooked up to a level alarm and a power fail alarm via my central alarm panel. For $50 I could not chance having it go again. Talking to the alarm guy gave me an insight into the problem. 2 or 3 homes on our block have had the same alarm installed but only AFTER they have had a flood. I have seen the restoration trucks indicating a flood several times lately and it looks like the pumps in these 5+ year old houses are only lasting about 6 years. Used to be a pump would last 10 to 15 years or longer. :angry:
Thanks again Rando :applaud: :applaud:
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Contining to progress,
Got Player 1 controls and joystick working, as well as ESC key. Some questions I have so far:
The 360 joysticks I have don't connect to the Mini-Pac, they connect to the PC via USB cables. Problem is when I connect the second Joystick, it reads it as Player 1 and I lose the initial Player 1.
The trackball works, in windows, but doesn't respond when I start up games that would normally use a trackball, like Missile Command or Centipede. Mind you, I'm using the MAMEUI32 interface, and am pretty much doing things via trial and error.
I have the pushbuttons from GroovyGear to do the coin 1 and 2 inputs, but those buttons are different from my leaf buttons, there are extra wires, and not really sure what the heck I'm supposed to do to hook these up.
Also mounted my joysticks wrong initially. What I assumed was UP was actually left, so I had to rotate those which left my Player 2 stick a little tight. WHY isn't the stick labeled showing which way is up, or am I completely cluless.
But fired up and played a few games successfully, very excited!! :)
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Contining to progress,
Got Player 1 controls and joystick working, as well as ESC key. Some questions I have so far:
The 360 joysticks I have don't connect to the Mini-Pac, they connect to the PC via USB cables. Problem is when I connect the second Joystick, it reads it as Player 1 and I lose the initial Player 1.
The trackball works, in windows, but doesn't respond when I start up games that would normally use a trackball, like Missile Command or Centipede. Mind you, I'm using the MAMEUI32 interface, and am pretty much doing things via trial and error.
I have the pushbuttons from GroovyGear to do the coin 1 and 2 inputs, but those buttons are different from my leaf buttons, there are extra wires, and not really sure what the heck I'm supposed to do to hook these up.
Also mounted my joysticks wrong initially. What I assumed was UP was actually left, so I had to rotate those which left my Player 2 stick a little tight. WHY isn't the stick labeled showing which way is up, or am I completely cluless.
But fired up and played a few games successfully, very excited!! :)
http://www.ultimarc.com/ultrastik_inst.html (http://www.ultimarc.com/ultrastik_inst.html)
Assigning an ID:
When the joysticks are supplied, all are set to an ID of ONE. You must change as required so IDs in use are unique. This is how to do it:
Plug ONE UltraStik 360 into the PC via USB.
Start the UltraMap software.
Click on "Assign ID" Select the required ID, 2, 3 or 4.
Unplug and reconnect the USB cable.
Repeat with each joystick as required.
After each one has been assigned with a unique ID, all can be connected to USB.
http://mamedev.org/devwiki/index.php/FAQ:Controls#Why_doesn.27t_my_mouse_or_trackball_work.3F (http://mamedev.org/devwiki/index.php/FAQ:Controls#Why_doesn.27t_my_mouse_or_trackball_work.3F)
The most common solution is, in mame.ini, replace "mouse 0"with mouse 1.
For the mouse to work in mame, it has to work in windows. So if it doesn't work in windows (ie doesn't more the mouse pointer), fix this first as this isn't a mame problem. However, some virtual mice that work in windows won't work in mame; mame is currently using RawInput for mouse and keyboard inputs in Windows XP & Vista, and if the virtual mouse driver isn't RawInput compatable, it won't work in mame.
In MAME, try pressing "Tab" and choose "Input: This Game" and make sure that the game's inputs are mapped with the appropriate mouse inputs. If not, see How do I configure the keys? for remapping the buttons, and How can I change what axes the mouse and joystick control? for mapping the mouse axes to analog game axes.
Be sure mouse inputs are enabled in the config.
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=295 (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=295)
Power Requirements: 100ma @ 5v DC Per button.
Connection:
The buttons have 2 wires attached to them. One is RED and the other is BLACK. The BLACK lead goes to the LED-Wiz™. The RED wire goes to +5v.
black can also go to ground if you don't have an LED-Wiz.
http://pinouts.ru/Power/SmallPower_pinout.shtml (http://pinouts.ru/Power/SmallPower_pinout.shtml)
the floppy disk power connector is an easy 5v source.
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Thanks Cot,
- Joystick issue - Simple Windows fix, not a problem
- Trackball issue - Simple MAME fix, not a problem
- Coin buttons - Not sure how I would connect the Red to the floppy connector, will pulling the wire out of the floppy plug and twisting them together with a wire connector work like I would in a regular outlet work?
Also not sure how I would connect the black to the ground daisy chain I have, chain might not reach, and the wire wouldn't fit the same as a it does on my leafs. Also, would this negate the normal ground connection I would do to a microswitch button, or do I need to ground this button twice, one for the black wire and a second for the button? Ground wires in some of the lights in my house go to a ground screw in the electrical box, could I do something like this?
Sorry for the basic questions, I fiddle at night and then try to figure things out at work! :)
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DO NOT GROUND THE LEDS TO THE DAISY CHAIN.
The black lines on the floppy connector are grounds. If you look at the underside of the connector you'll see where the metal pins have small raised 'barbs' that prevent them from sliding out backwards. A small flat head screwdriver or a boxcutter can be used to gently depress those barbs and slide the red and black wires out of the molex. Then you'll just twist and secure the matching colored wires from the LEDs.
On my machine I wired up several USB Header connectors to the +5V from the floppy connector and placed them on the bottom most expansion slot of the case, then cut the ends off some USB cables and wired those into the LEDs so I have an easy disconnect (my CP slides out like a drawer and occasionally needs to be removed for tinkering).
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DO NOT GROUND THE LEDS TO THE DAISY CHAIN.
Now THAT's the kind of feedback I'm looking for! :) Clear, concise, I can follow those instructions.
So tonight I will remove the black/red wires from my floppy plug, tie them to the black/red wires from the two coin buttons, and they should light up. I will then wire the multiswitch portion of the buttons as normal, which I haven't done yet as I've only wired the leaf buttons and need to figure out how to do the others as both my coin buttons and Player 1/2 buttons are non-leafs.
And yes I will disconnect the power to the PC before removing wires!! :dizzy:
Awesome! :)
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On the u360's, remember the chassis orientation doesn't matter, just the PCB. you can unscrew the board and just rotate that if you want to keep your joystick body oriented a certain way. IIRC the PCB has a "top" designation indicating the top of the cp.
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And yes I will disconnect the power to the PC before removing wires!! :dizzy:
One time I unplugged a floppy drive without turning off the computer first. It let out all of the magic smoke in the wires... into my hand.
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Not as much progress as I'd hoped, but that's mostly due to *cough* testing.
Got both Joysticks recognized and functioning
Got Player 2 buttons connected
Got trackball working and recognized in MAME
Figured out how to get both joysticks playable in Robotron
Kicked butt in Asteroids
Coin and Start 1/2 buttons... tomorrow! :D
Thanks all! :)
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Nice work. The cp wiring wasn't that bad at all now was it. ;D
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Nice work. The cp wiring wasn't that bad at all now was it. ;D
That's a good question, which I was trying to work out as I stayed up late into the third night in a row working on my control panel.
Is it rocket science? No.
Is it easy and intuitive? Not really.
Do I think at the end of the day that I'll have a CP and system working as intended? Yes.
Do I know that many other people that could/would tackle this successfully? No.
Maybe its the fact that we're creating something from so many different parts, or my preference for printed directions vs locating things online, or my getting used to IKEA instructions where each step is clearly layed out with pictures so you can follow them regardless of understood language, but I can't classify this whole process as EASY.
The constructing of the cabinet was pretty straight forward, but I took the easy way out and ordered pre-cut pieces. My woodworking skills are limited, just constructing the box for the CP gave me some issues. I'm really really handy, but I'm not... precise. I work better on big projects that I can correct/cover up with paint & spackle. ;) This could be one of the most time consuming parts of this project, but for me it was not. Thanks to my pre-cut UAII cab for that.
The PC gave me it's own issues where I had to swap out components which would have stopped most other people I know. It gave me a fresh start for MAME and kept Windows XP uncluttered, but it was a headache and a roadblock that I didn't need. Of course I spent $0 on this using existing components which is great, but again something that others I know wouldn't have been able to do. Having built a few PC's in the past has proved amazingly useful to me in both my personal and professional life. I know that many of you have done this so it doesn't seem like that big a deal, but most people that I know have 0 knowledge in this area. This skill is a major advantage in this hobby I think.
Software setup was easier the second time around, I'm just dealing with MAMEUI at this point, and not MAME, MAMEUI, and MALA all at the same time, like I was before my PC died. I initially tried to do too much at once and was trying to configure MALA before I confirmed that games and controls worked as intended in MAME. After I get everything built and working as intended, I'll work to make the FrontEnd easier for users, incorporate Daphne and other emulators, make it more of a game machine rather than a PC in a big box with buttons thing, etc.
The control panel. Cost more and taking longer than originally anticipated. I did a lot of reading and research on this where I could, but at the end of the day I just winged it. Part of the problem is there aren't definitive answers. I'm looking to play oldschool games, so some of my components like the leaf buttons were influenced by that desire, but at the end of the day there's no wrong answer, which also means that there's no RIGHT answer. I'm not sure which buttons to order, or joysticks to use, or size trackball to get. For the layout of the CP you can copy others or make your own (what I did) but that's preference. But the putting everything together, again, I lacked basic knowledge since I hadn't done anything like this before, and my interpretations of things that I read/saw weren't always correct. One thing I've done which I'm happy with is the SIZE of the CP. So many CP's that I see are HUGE and extend past the sides of the cabinet. My cab is already big, so I just barely extend past the sides and only an inch or two in the front.
Regarding resources for this project, Saint's book is a great place to start, but of course it covers everything, and not just what I want to make personally. Vendor sites provide information and schematics which are of course helpful, but this forum is the #1 thing that has helped me get to where I am so far. Searching topics is great, but nothing beats posting a question and having it addressed, explained, and answered in just a few hours.
I now have a working 2 player system that incorporates two joysticks, a trackball, and 6 action buttons for each player. That's awesome and has already exceeded my wife's expectations of me. ;) Cleaning everything up, wrapping up loose ends, adding polish and graphics will make this a finished piece, will lead to a finished produect, which again will lean heavily on this board.
Good times! :applaud:
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Here's a couple links that may help with understanding the wiring.
http://spystyle.arcadecontrols.com/2000/index8.htm (http://spystyle.arcadecontrols.com/2000/index8.htm)
http://webpages.charter.net/rbecker5/plans.html#wiring (http://webpages.charter.net/rbecker5/plans.html#wiring)
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Didn't make a lot of progress last night but got a couple things done:
- Connected the Start 1 Start 2 Player buttons to the mini-pac and got them functioning. But didn't take the additional microswitch piece into consideration when drilling my holes so my buttons are two close together to wire properly. Had to turn my Player 2 button sideways to allow me to connect to the mini-pac. On the list of things to fix when I "re-do" my board.
- Connected the Coin 1 Coin 2 buttons to the mini-pac and got them functioning. But have't connected the LED wires to the PC yet, so they function but don't yet light up. Also have them resting on the CP at the moment because the harness wires are short so I'll have to extend those (as well as the ground daisy change) to enable the buttons to be moved to the coin door section of the cab. They work, but looking sloppy.
- Tried to change the properties of my Ultrasticks through the Ultramap software to 4-way (for DK) and 4-way diagonal (for Qbert). DK seemed to work okay, but couldn't even start QB as I guess I no longer had the left/right movement to bypass the white screen. After using the left/right keyboard buttons I got the game to start, but QB wouldn't move, he just sat there at the top until some purple snakey thing mauled him. Probably a simple fix such as modifying the input controls, but haven't worked that out yet.
Next steps:Extend the coin wires to enable them to move down
Construct a makeshift coin door (will just be flat wood at this point as it will be a test door the same as my test CP)
Wire the coin LEDs to get them lit up
Buy/tint plexiglass for screen, see how that looks and see if interior bezel needed
Move speakers from inside cab to marquee area
Have people test and expose issues with existing CP, make notes for future edition
Develop graphics
But since I now have a "working" system, everything above will be slowed due to additional "testing" session. :)
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.... had the left/right movement to bypass the white screen.
Dude.
Grab a different build of mame that has the No-Nag patch and Hi-Score support built in.
Groovymame here on the forums is a good choice. http://mame.groovy.org/0142/ (http://mame.groovy.org/0142/)
MameUIFX isn't bad http://mame32fx.altervista.org/download.htm (http://mame32fx.altervista.org/download.htm)
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- Connected the Start 1 Start 2 Player buttons to the mini-pac and got them functioning. But didn't take the additional microswitch piece into consideration when drilling my holes so my buttons are two close together to wire properly. Had to turn my Player 2 button sideways to allow me to connect to the mini-pac. On the list of things to fix when I "re-do" my board.
Can you rotate one button so both buttons have the microswitch contacts pointing away from each other? Then you could just take the plunger out of the button that is "upside down" and rotate it 180 degrees to bring back to "right side up".
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.... had the left/right movement to bypass the white screen.
Dude.
Grab a different build of mame that has the No-Nag patch and Hi-Score support built in.
Groovymame here on the forums is a good choice. http://mame.groovy.org/0142/ (http://mame.groovy.org/0142/)
MameUIFX isn't bad http://mame32fx.altervista.org/download.htm (http://mame32fx.altervista.org/download.htm)
Thanks Cot,
I agree but you're ahead of where I think I want to be. Right now things are working so I don't want to mess with the software until I get the Hardware finalized. I had experimented with MALA before my PC died which I liked, and looked into the Hi-Score posts, but I'm still not exactly clear on what it means to "Compile MAME" so I'm ignoring those options/steps until I start looking at FE's again.
That's when I'll look to simplify the options for the users, add hi-score support, hide windows, etc.
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- Connected the Start 1 Start 2 Player buttons to the mini-pac and got them functioning. But didn't take the additional microswitch piece into consideration when drilling my holes so my buttons are two close together to wire properly. Had to turn my Player 2 button sideways to allow me to connect to the mini-pac. On the list of things to fix when I "re-do" my board.
Can you rotate one button so both buttons have the microswitch contacts pointing away from each other? Then you could just take the plunger out of the button that is "upside down" and rotate it 180 degrees to bring back to "right side up".
Proooooooooobably...
Being that these were the first two microswitch buttons I've ever handled, I can't say that I could do that, but if you're suggesting it, I probably can? :) Not a major issue now as there are some other design issues that I intend to fix with my future version, but I'll check to see if I can do what you're saying without snapping my button in half.
I was just happy to get the switch thingie attached to the button thingie without breaking those plastic prong thingies! ;D
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To take the plunger out of the button body (microswitch must be removed), squeeze (gently) the feet "thingies" of the plunger together and push them into the holes. This is a little easier to do if you can push the spring back a little with a small tool. And when putting the plunger back in, only squeeze the feet back together just enough to get them to fit inside the button body.
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.... had the left/right movement to bypass the white screen.
Dude.
Grab a different build of mame that has the No-Nag patch and Hi-Score support built in.
Groovymame here on the forums is a good choice. http://mame.groovy.org/0142/ (http://mame.groovy.org/0142/)
MameUIFX isn't bad http://mame32fx.altervista.org/download.htm (http://mame32fx.altervista.org/download.htm)
Thanks Cot,
I agree but you're ahead of where I think I want to be. Right now things are working so I don't want to mess with the software until I get the Hardware finalized. I had experimented with MALA before my PC died which I liked, and looked into the Hi-Score posts, but I'm still not exactly clear on what it means to "Compile MAME" so I'm ignoring those options/steps until I start looking at FE's again.
That's when I'll look to simplify the options for the users, add hi-score support, hide windows, etc.
Both of those are pre-compiled. I'd take a look at MameUIFX just for starters. Disable nag screen is just a checkbox in the options; no .INI editing.
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Just compile your own, it is really, really simple with headkaze's compiler, there is even a sticky on it. I did it, I would help you do it.
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You guys are still ahead of me. I'm still trying to connect buttons, no compile yet! :)
The good:
I cut up a network cable to extend the wires to my coin pushbuttons to enable them to reach the coin door section of my cabinet. Buttons still work with the new wiring in place, awesome.
The bad:
The bottom part of the button where the LED wires connect is bigger than the threaded part, and I can't figure out how to remove the circular screw on piece so I can fit the threaded part through the hole for the part to fit in my temporary coin door. I've got it wired and tested, but can't install it because I can't get the nut off. I don't want to break it, what do I need to squeeze/twist to pull the button apart so I can get the nut off?
Ugh, two steps forward, one step back...
Bedtime.
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Hey all,
Had a good weekend for testing where I had a bunch of family over for Father's day and the Cab got put through its paces a bit. Players ranged from 10 year old kids to 40+ year old in-laws. All went good, only issues raised were things that I'm in the process of repairing or adding.
Most popular game with the kids: TMNT
Most popular game with guys in the 20's: NBA JAM
Most pulart game with the older folks: Robotron
All was good, my Player 1/2 buttons are still crooked which I haven't fixed yet, people loved the pushbutton coin function, and I need to secure the current CP as it moves a bit so I need to lock that down even though this is a temp version. But everything was great and everyone was amazed that I was able to create this object of wonder in my basement. Sister-in-law wants one, her husband is not opposed.
Now I just need to make it look pretty and be user friendly!! :) Thanks for help all!!!
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It's amazing how update progress stopped as soon as the unit becomes playable.
Most recent updates:
- Installed and setup MALA as Frontend
- Created "Top 100" list for most popular games that will want to be played, continuing to tweak this listing
- Downloaded/installed the "Gameroom" MALA layout and LOVE IT! Exactly what I was looking for, looks perfect on a Gameroom cab and is easy for people to use
Still need to Compile and remove the nag screens, tighten my ball tops, solve some other minor issues, secure my speakers to marquee area, secure monitor, install plexiglas, design graphics, and then finally move towards creating a more finished looking CP and coin door.
But a little more "Track and Field" first...
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It's amazing how update progress stopped as soon as the unit becomes playable.
+1
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Done some work but realized that I haven't updated thread in a while or even posted pictures of functioning cab, sooo...
Finally got a hold of the marquee brackets and an under-counter light from Home Depot so I installed the Marquee pieces to check fit and look. Might put some random graphics up there temporarily until I can figure out a permanent image.
The Control panel is working and I'm pretty happy with the layout. Recently started trying some shooter games using the trackball instead of guns and like how that works, but I'm missing a second player. Anyone add a second trackball for shooter purposes?
Control panel will eventually be black, with Red T-Molding around border, and some graphics on top. Also plan to router around trackball to get that plastic protector hidden. Regarding black paint for the control panel, any recommendations for type/finish to match the fairly flat black of the UAII cab?
Coin pushbuttons are working but in a test board obviously. Board will be replaced with black/red and LEDs lit up at some point.
Speaker grills were pre-cut but I don’t like the color of them since they are exposed wood and don’t match the black of the rest of the cab. At the least I plan to on putting some red tinted paper/wrap up there so they will emit a reddish glow instead. If that still doesn’t look good I will likely paint the exposed wood parts black first. Also need to secure a couple speakers up there.
Difficult to see but in front of the monitor is a clear piece of plexi with some shading attached to it. Doesn’t look great but doesn’t look awful. Inside is more visible than normal due to the camera flash and the fact that I still have the back of the cabinet open letting in light. I’m happy with the screen though and depending on how much light gets in there, I don’t know if I’ll need a bezel or not. My center speaker is in there at present with volume knob, I need to move that and get the volume controllable from outside the cab.
Right now everything is tied to the same powerstrip so I flip the switch on the strip and everything turns on except the PC which I turn on manually. I shutdown PC at the end and flip the switch to knock everything else off. Not exactly newbie friendly, but I’m the only one powering the system on/off, so I’m okay with that method for now. LCD Monitor connects displays PC image automatically after turn on which I was happy to discover.
So we’re working, are a bit ugly, but proceeding at my slooow pace! ;D
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I think you need just a little bit more tint to the glass, maybe add another layer to the rear side of it. It might just be the flash showing whats behind the tint.
I know i used a 20% light pass through for mine and its just about perfect to hide the lcd and hide fact i dont have a real bezel underneath
otherwise looks good! but i agree once it gets playable its hard to keep working at it. Im trying to keep myself from making mine playable till its done!